Published: Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 2:43 p.m.

Ten people will be inducted into Howard Academy's Marion County Black History Museum Hall of Fame on Friday in recognition of their achievements and service to the community.

Facts

IF YOU GO

The "A Night of Firsts" ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at Community Technical and Adult Education, Brewster Hall, 1014 S.W. Seventh Road, Ocala. Tickets are $25 per person. They may be obtained by calling 671-4175. Some tickets may be available at the door the night of the event.

"The theme is 'The Night of Firsts,' " said Reginald E Landers Jr., program manager of the Howard Academy Community Center and the event organizer. "We are recognizing eight members of our community who were trailblazers. They were the first ones."

In addition, Lois B. Miller and William James are being given lifetime achievement awards.

"The other eight stood on their shoulders," Landers said. "As we recognize the eight, their accomplishments would not have happened without the preceding generation. We are paying homage to the preceding generation for their time and struggle in the movement."

The eight "first" honorees are:

. Angelia Boynton, first black woman elected to the Marion County School Board.

. Bobby James, first black male elected to the Marion County School Board.

. Mary Sue Rich, first black woman elected to the Ocala City Council.

. Wendell Rora, Ocala Fire Department's first black battalion chief.

. Sam Williams, Ocala Police Department's first black police chief.

LOIS B. MILLER

On April 6, Lois B. Miller will be 101 years old.

"I'm creaking more every day," the buoyant Miller said with a grin. "I do two hours of brain exercises every morning."

She said she enjoys the Jumble and other puzzles in the daily newspaper.

Miller was born eight miles north of Ocala, near Fessenden Elementary School. She attended the school for 13 years, when it was private.

"So I never went to public school," she said.

When the stock market crashed in 1929, many people in Florida, like others all over the nation, lost their money. So, Miller said, she went looking for a job. Miller, who has one sister, was working in St. Petersburg in 1932 and then went to New York. The deacon at her church intervened on her behalf and she was hired — "the first black girl" — at the exclusive Best & Co. department store in New York.

"When I got my job, it was unheard of," Miller said.

She worked for Best & Co. for 36 years, then moved to Fort Lauderdale. After her husband died, Miller moved back to Ocala, in 1985.

She has one son and a number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Asked what she is most proud of, the spry Miller said: "My home, city, county, school, churches and everything that has to do with Ocala because it belongs to me and I belong to it. Whatever goes on, I will be a part of it as long as I have a breath in my body."

Miller said she has lived her life taking care of home first and has been a good citizen and neighbor, having never knowingly thrown a piece of paper on the ground. And, she has respect for herself and others.

"I will not ask you to do anything I would not do. I will do it first," she said.

WILLIAM JAMES

William James, the oldest of four children, was born New Year's Day 93 years ago on a farm five miles north of Ocala. His father died when he was 8 years old and his mother raised him, his sister and two brothers. He went to school in Kendrick through the eighth grade.

"I started working on the farm across the street from where I lived," the soft-spoken James said.

For his labor, he received 50 cents a day and one meal.

James worked at several places before he took a job as a custodian for the Marion County School Board. He was recognized for his hard work and dedication, and became a custodian supervisor over 16 Marion County schools. During his 25-year career in the school system, he only took 26 sick days off, and that was because of surgery.

James is a life-long member of Mount Tabor AME Church. When he was 19, he was made secretary of the church, a position he held for 25 years.

"I was an officer in that church ever since I was 19 years old and I am 93 and still am an officer," James said. "I do jail ministry now."

He is an honorary deputy sheriff and a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

James' only son and grandson have both passed away. He has three nieces and five nephews. He said he also has three godchildren by commitment and many others by association.

James lives on the family farm and owns 15 of the 24 acres, with the remainder owned by a sibling. He raises a "few cattle," drives a tractor and mows the fields when necessary.

"I am proud of serving the Lord all my life and have been blessed by the Lord all these years," James said.

ANGELIA BOYNTON was elected to the Marion County School Board in November 2010. She currently is board vice chairman and has announced her intention to run in this year's election. Boynton graduated from Forest High School and attended the University of Florida for three years. She owns Instant Tax Service, a bookkeeping and personal/business income tax service in Ocala. Boynton, the mother of one daughter, has been involved in the Marion County Republican Party, National Federation of Republican Women, Florida Federation of Republican Women, Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research and the Heritage Foundation.

CRAIG DAMON became North Marion High School's head football coach in December 1999, a position he held for 13 years. He also was athletic director from May 2006 to September 2013, when he resigned both positions to join the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Damon was a lifelong Colt. He was an all-area running back in the mid-1980s and assistant coach before accepting the top position. He brought with him a laid-back leadership style, a willingness to share responsibility and an ability to empower the people around him. It showed in his record: 113-18. That included 10 district championships, three regional championships, three final four appearances, and 30 playoff games and 17 playoff wins, most in Marion County.

SANDRA EDWARDS-STEPHENS was elected a Marion County judge in 1990. Ten years later, former Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to the circuit bench, a position she held until her retirement in October 2013. Edwards-Stephens was the first black person and one of the first females to become a county judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses five counties, including Marion. In 2011, Edwards-Stephens began presiding over felony cases, in addition to violation of probation and mortgage foreclosure cases. Before becoming a judge, Edwards-Stephens, who earned her law degree from Nova University Law Center, worked as an attorney and represented the United States in an overseas delegation with the Center for International Projects in Estonia and Russia in 1992 and for Hungary and the Czech Republic in 1994.

CLIFFORD GRIER served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1987. Before coming to Marion County, he was a police officer in Washington, D.C. He was hired by Marion County Fire Rescue as an EMT in 1990. Grier has worked his way up the ranks, having received his first promotion, to firefighter/EMT, in 1991. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1994 and three years later became a captain, the position he holds today.

Throughout his career, Grier has received numerous awards, including Firefighter of the Year in 2009 from American Legion Post 58.

BOBBY JAMES was called out of retirement and appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist to fill a vacancy on the Marion County School Board in 2007. He subsequently won a special election in 2008 and ran unopposed in 2010. James is in the final year of his first full four-year term. He has announced his intention to run for re-election this fall.

James began his career with Marion County schools in 1971 at Forest High School. A former football and basketball coach there, he left for four years and returned in 1978. Five years later, James was named assistant principal at Forest. In 1988, he was named principal at Fessenden Elementary School. He was principal at the Phoenix Center, then principal at Dunnellon High School, a position he held for 12 years until he retired in 2006.

MARY SUE RICH is an Ocala City Councilwoman representing District 2 on the city's west side, a position she has held since 1995.

Rich, a retired correctional probation senior supervisor for the state Department of Corrections, served on the Judicial Nominating Commission and currently serves on the Governor's West Ocala Neighborhood Revitalization Council, Criminal Justice Advisory Council at the College of Central Florida and Transportation Planning Organization. Rich also chairs the Racial Harmony Task force, is president of 1st Step Inc., is a member of the Ebony Women Civic Club and sits on the board of the Marion County Children's Alliance. She was named United Way's Humanitarian of the Year in 2005.

WENDELL RORA joined Ocala Fire Rescue as a firefighter in November 1984. His first step up was in September 1987, when he was promoted to firefighter/EMT I. Five years later he rose to firefighter/EMT II. In three more years he made a leap to captain and eight months later became a fire captain 1. In October 1999 he attained the rank of captain/paramedic. Five years later, Rora became a fire captain/paramedic II. He became a battalion chief in 2005, a position he held for seven years before leaving the department in October 2012.

SAMUEL WILLIAMS had 30 years of law enforcement experience before joining the Ocala Police Department as police chief in August 2003, a job he held until December 2011.

Williams left the United States Air Force in 1969 and joined the Miami-Dade Police Department in 1971 as a patrol officer. He rose through the ranks, retiring in June 2003 from his position as assistant county manager for public safety in Miami-Dade before heading north to Ocala. In 2007, former Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Williams chairman of the Florida Violent Crime Council, an agency within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that works to develop strategies to combat violent crimes.

In 2011 Williams began Phoenix Rising, a 16-week program for low-income young adults that gives them the opportunity to work for a GED or high school diploma and learn job and life skills that prepare them for employment or college. Phoenix Rising was designated a Bright Ideas program by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and, in 2013, was awarded a federal grant of more than $1 million.

<p>Ten people will be inducted into Howard Academy's Marion County Black History Museum Hall of Fame on Friday in recognition of their achievements and service to the community.</p><p>"The theme is 'The Night of Firsts,' " said Reginald E Landers Jr., program manager of the Howard Academy Community Center and the event organizer. "We are recognizing eight members of our community who were trailblazers. They were the first ones."</p><p>In addition, Lois B. Miller and William James are being given lifetime achievement awards.</p><p>"The other eight stood on their shoulders," Landers said. "As we recognize the eight, their accomplishments would not have happened without the preceding generation. We are paying homage to the preceding generation for their time and struggle in the movement."</p><p>The eight "first" honorees are:</p><p>. Angelia Boynton, first black woman elected to the Marion County School Board.</p><p>. Craig Damon, first black head coach of North Marion High School.</p><p>. Sandra Edwards-Stephens, first black female Fifth Judicial Circuit judge.</p><p>. Clifford Grier, first black captain at Marion County Fire-Rescue.</p><p>. Bobby James, first black male elected to the Marion County School Board.</p><p>. Mary Sue Rich, first black woman elected to the Ocala City Council.</p><p>. Wendell Rora, Ocala Fire Department's first black battalion chief.</p><p>. Sam Williams, Ocala Police Department's first black police chief.</p><p> </p><p><b>LOIS B. MILLER</b></p><p>On April 6, Lois B. Miller will be 101 years old.</p><p>"I'm creaking more every day," the buoyant Miller said with a grin. "I do two hours of brain exercises every morning."</p><p>She said she enjoys the Jumble and other puzzles in the daily newspaper.</p><p>Miller was born eight miles north of Ocala, near Fessenden Elementary School. She attended the school for 13 years, when it was private.</p><p>"So I never went to public school," she said.</p><p>When the stock market crashed in 1929, many people in Florida, like others all over the nation, lost their money. So, Miller said, she went looking for a job. Miller, who has one sister, was working in St. Petersburg in 1932 and then went to New York. The deacon at her church intervened on her behalf and she was hired — "the first black girl" — at the exclusive Best & Co. department store in New York.</p><p>"When I got my job, it was unheard of," Miller said.</p><p>She worked for Best & Co. for 36 years, then moved to Fort Lauderdale. After her husband died, Miller moved back to Ocala, in 1985.</p><p>She has one son and a number of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.</p><p>Asked what she is most proud of, the spry Miller said: "My home, city, county, school, churches and everything that has to do with Ocala because it belongs to me and I belong to it. Whatever goes on, I will be a part of it as long as I have a breath in my body."</p><p>Miller said she has lived her life taking care of home first and has been a good citizen and neighbor, having never knowingly thrown a piece of paper on the ground. And, she has respect for herself and others.</p><p>"I will not ask you to do anything I would not do. I will do it first," she said.</p><p> </p><p><b>WILLIAM JAMES</b></p><p>William James, the oldest of four children, was born New Year's Day 93 years ago on a farm five miles north of Ocala. His father died when he was 8 years old and his mother raised him, his sister and two brothers. He went to school in Kendrick through the eighth grade.</p><p>"I started working on the farm across the street from where I lived," the soft-spoken James said.</p><p>For his labor, he received 50 cents a day and one meal.</p><p>James worked at several places before he took a job as a custodian for the Marion County School Board. He was recognized for his hard work and dedication, and became a custodian supervisor over 16 Marion County schools. During his 25-year career in the school system, he only took 26 sick days off, and that was because of surgery.</p><p>James is a life-long member of Mount Tabor AME Church. When he was 19, he was made secretary of the church, a position he held for 25 years.</p><p>"I was an officer in that church ever since I was 19 years old and I am 93 and still am an officer," James said. "I do jail ministry now."</p><p>He is an honorary deputy sheriff and a life member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.</p><p>James' only son and grandson have both passed away. He has three nieces and five nephews. He said he also has three godchildren by commitment and many others by association.</p><p>James lives on the family farm and owns 15 of the 24 acres, with the remainder owned by a sibling. He raises a "few cattle," drives a tractor and mows the fields when necessary.</p><p>"I am proud of serving the Lord all my life and have been blessed by the Lord all these years," James said.</p><p> </p><p>ANGELIA BOYNTON was elected to the Marion County School Board in November 2010. She currently is board vice chairman and has announced her intention to run in this year's election. Boynton graduated from Forest High School and attended the University of Florida for three years. She owns Instant Tax Service, a bookkeeping and personal/business income tax service in Ocala. Boynton, the mother of one daughter, has been involved in the Marion County Republican Party, National Federation of Republican Women, Florida Federation of Republican Women, Ocala Royal Dames for Cancer Research and the Heritage Foundation.</p><p> </p><p>CRAIG DAMON became North Marion High School's head football coach in December 1999, a position he held for 13 years. He also was athletic director from May 2006 to September 2013, when he resigned both positions to join the Florida High School Athletic Association.</p><p>Damon was a lifelong Colt. He was an all-area running back in the mid-1980s and assistant coach before accepting the top position. He brought with him a laid-back leadership style, a willingness to share responsibility and an ability to empower the people around him. It showed in his record: 113-18. That included 10 district championships, three regional championships, three final four appearances, and 30 playoff games and 17 playoff wins, most in Marion County.</p><p> </p><p>SANDRA EDWARDS-STEPHENS was elected a Marion County judge in 1990. Ten years later, former Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her to the circuit bench, a position she held until her retirement in October 2013. Edwards-Stephens was the first black person and one of the first females to become a county judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses five counties, including Marion. In 2011, Edwards-Stephens began presiding over felony cases, in addition to violation of probation and mortgage foreclosure cases. Before becoming a judge, Edwards-Stephens, who earned her law degree from Nova University Law Center, worked as an attorney and represented the United States in an overseas delegation with the Center for International Projects in Estonia and Russia in 1992 and for Hungary and the Czech Republic in 1994.</p><p> </p><p>CLIFFORD GRIER served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1987. Before coming to Marion County, he was a police officer in Washington, D.C. He was hired by Marion County Fire Rescue as an EMT in 1990. Grier has worked his way up the ranks, having received his first promotion, to firefighter/EMT, in 1991. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1994 and three years later became a captain, the position he holds today.</p><p>Throughout his career, Grier has received numerous awards, including Firefighter of the Year in 2009 from American Legion Post 58.</p><p> </p><p>BOBBY JAMES was called out of retirement and appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist to fill a vacancy on the Marion County School Board in 2007. He subsequently won a special election in 2008 and ran unopposed in 2010. James is in the final year of his first full four-year term. He has announced his intention to run for re-election this fall.</p><p>James began his career with Marion County schools in 1971 at Forest High School. A former football and basketball coach there, he left for four years and returned in 1978. Five years later, James was named assistant principal at Forest. In 1988, he was named principal at Fessenden Elementary School. He was principal at the Phoenix Center, then principal at Dunnellon High School, a position he held for 12 years until he retired in 2006.</p><p> </p><p>MARY SUE RICH is an Ocala City Councilwoman representing District 2 on the city's west side, a position she has held since 1995.</p><p>Rich, a retired correctional probation senior supervisor for the state Department of Corrections, served on the Judicial Nominating Commission and currently serves on the Governor's West Ocala Neighborhood Revitalization Council, Criminal Justice Advisory Council at the College of Central Florida and Transportation Planning Organization. Rich also chairs the Racial Harmony Task force, is president of 1st Step Inc., is a member of the Ebony Women Civic Club and sits on the board of the Marion County Children's Alliance. She was named United Way's Humanitarian of the Year in 2005.</p><p> </p><p>WENDELL RORA joined Ocala Fire Rescue as a firefighter in November 1984. His first step up was in September 1987, when he was promoted to firefighter/EMT I. Five years later he rose to firefighter/EMT II. In three more years he made a leap to captain and eight months later became a fire captain 1. In October 1999 he attained the rank of captain/paramedic. Five years later, Rora became a fire captain/paramedic II. He became a battalion chief in 2005, a position he held for seven years before leaving the department in October 2012.</p><p> </p><p>SAMUEL WILLIAMS had 30 years of law enforcement experience before joining the Ocala Police Department as police chief in August 2003, a job he held until December 2011.</p><p>Williams left the United States Air Force in 1969 and joined the Miami-Dade Police Department in 1971 as a patrol officer. He rose through the ranks, retiring in June 2003 from his position as assistant county manager for public safety in Miami-Dade before heading north to Ocala. In 2007, former Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Williams chairman of the Florida Violent Crime Council, an agency within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that works to develop strategies to combat violent crimes.</p><p>In 2011 Williams began Phoenix Rising, a 16-week program for low-income young adults that gives them the opportunity to work for a GED or high school diploma and learn job and life skills that prepare them for employment or college. Phoenix Rising was designated a Bright Ideas program by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and, in 2013, was awarded a federal grant of more than $1 million.</p><p><i>Contact Susan Latham Carr at 352-867-4156 or susan.carr@starbanner.com.</i></p>